


A Fire in the Heartland

by MoonGoddex



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Red & Green & Blue & Yellow | Pokemon Red Green Blue Yellow Versions
Genre: Autistic Red (Pokemon), Childhood Friends, M/M, Nonverbal Communication, Pokemon Journey, Post-Game(s), Reunions, Rivals to Friends to Lovers, Selectively Mute Red (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26070829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonGoddex/pseuds/MoonGoddex
Summary: When Red gets led down the mountain, he isn't the Champion any more. If he was honest with himself, that made coming down that much easier.But he was never going to just stay in Pallet Town for the rest of his life.
Relationships: Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red
Comments: 8
Kudos: 52





	A Fire in the Heartland

When they were kids, Red didn't talk much.  
Sometimes, sure - he could ask a few questions and answer many of them, usually when they had simple answers, and were asked by someone he already knew well enough; but never when a stranger asked. Sometimes he just nodded or shook his head. It was still communication, right?

Because he could talk sometimes, his mom didn't push him. Because he could say please and thank you some days. Because she heard him reading his stories to his stuffed Clefairy doll, quiet and slightly stilted, but mostly pronounced correctly; because he wrote about the adventures he wanted to have when he was old enough, most of his spelling correct, some of his vocabulary higher than she expected of a boy his age. And when she asked him about Pokémon, so long as she didn't interrupt him, he could spout out facts faster than usual, could repeat word for word something he'd read about them - sure, sometimes he'd trip over words and repeat them 'til he got them right, but he'd talk.  
Because there were all these times he _could_ , she chalked up the times he couldn't pronounce a word correctly even after five tries, or the times his tone didn't fit the words he was saying, as just... slips of the tongue. She sometimes got tongue-tied too, right? Didn't everybody?  
And because she heard him say 'I love you' from time to time, and she felt it when he hugged her, she felt like what he could do was enough.

Blue didn't mind when they were both little. He liked taking over when they played. He could chat at Red for hours with minimal input, and sometimes he'd make him laugh.

It was when they hit around 8 that Blue started asking, "are you mad at me?"

Red shook 'no'.

"Are you listening to me when I talk to you?"

He nodded 'yes'.

"Then why don't you talk back? You have to have something to say sometimes."

Red just shrugged.  
Blue stormed out, yelling in frustration, and the pair didn't talk for a week, despite Red's mom asking Professor Oak if he could bring him over. Sure they could talk it out.

Blue was stubborn, which Red always knew. He became convinced Red wasn't talking to him because he didn't like him. Because Blue had heard him speak sometimes, he thought the silence was purposeful. Malicious.  
And Red couldn't explain. He just... Couldn't get the words out. Couldn't explain how it felt, how much he struggled. Couldn't say, _"the words are in my head but I can't always get them out and sometimes by the time I'm able to you're either gone or on to another topic,"_ because it was hard enough even when the pressure of Blue being angry at him wasn't there.

He tried to write a letter, but everything he wrote came out wrong, his mind too clouded with frustration to convey things correctly, crumpled balls of paper overflowing out his waste paper basket.

Eventually, they drifted.  
Two years feels like forever when you're a kid.  
And when it came time for them to start their Pokémon adventure, it was like Red was meeting a brand new person. Someone kind of mean. More competitive, more hot headed.

In some ways, it was a good thing.  
He didn't have anyone by his side, so he could focus on raising his Pokémon. They didn't care if he couldn't speak that day.

But every step of the way, Blue was one foot ahead of him.  
(One month older, always that little edge. He'd waited on Red - and Red didn't understand it at the time. He figured after the first few battles it was so he could lord it over Red just how far ahead he was.)  
Well. Red was never crazy competitive, didn't mind losing - but with Blue's attitude the way it was, he refused to let him be smug about their battles. If he couldn't be faster than Blue, he'd at least be better.

It was easy enough for him to traipse through the tall grass, through caves and forests and fields - battling against wild Pokémon, catching, collecting, training. He was built to do this, he thought. He'd never felt so free, so accomplished as he filled up Professor Oak's Pokédex.  
And his training meant that when he battled Blue, he kept one upping him. Never being first to a gym, no, but always winning. Always proving he was capable.

Blue didn't much like it, Red could tell.  
But Red did.  
If nothing else, it meant Blue was talking to him again.

And that lasted up until the league.

(Youngest champion in Kanto since the league started. That was Blue's title first, till Red wrestled it from his grip not even an hour after he claimed it.)  
(He didn't think he'd have achieved that if Blue hadn't pushed him.)

Afterwards, Blue didn't really talk to him.  
Red didn't know if it was sore losing, or if the opportunity to take over Viridian gym was too compelling, too important to pay attention to old friends.

So Red trained. It was what he knew best. He went to Johto at first, explored a little - but not having a rival made the experience stale. He barely got to the Ruins of Alph before leaving.

He figured, without a rival to drive him, he was best off alone. Just him and his Pokémon.  
It was good for a couple years. Peace. Quiet. No need to prove anything to anyone. No need to avoid interviews.  
No need to talk, unless he felt like it.

(The pressure of being champion made his struggles with talking worse. The expectations were intimidating. When he did talk and his voice caught or his words took a little too long- well, people doubted him. Questioned why he won the championship title when he couldn't even speak like everyone else.)  
(It was easier to just not talk. Better to get a reputation as someone stoic, silent, maybe even standoffish.)

(Standoffish was what Blue thought of him, at least.)

He worked his way up Mount Silver (just before they implemented the badge gate, and he didn't come back any further than the Pokémon centre after it was up), eventually making a sort of home at the peak.  
It wasn't really cold. He had Charizard to warm him up after all, and Snorlax kept the wind at bay.

It worked well until some kid came and found him.

He hadn't been planning to battle. He had been avoiding it, actually, except for against wild Pokémon.  
But this kid arrived, and he had all of Kanto _and_ Johto's badges.  
And he won. Younger than Red, and he won.  
He talked. Talked enough to let Red know he'd beaten the league, too. Talked enough to let Red know Blue was still heading up Viridian gym.  
He talked even though he didn't get response. Kind of like he didn't care.  
Kind of like how Blue used to be. Before.

Then he left. Thanked Red for the battle.  
Cheery. He hadn't had that in a while.

He worried, a little. What if this kid told everyone where he was? What if accomplished trainers kept climbing the mountain, trying to best the absent champion?

(Well. He wasn't that any more.)  
(It didn't sting as much as he thought it might.)

They didn't.  
The only one that scaled the perilous climb high enough to reach Red, was-  
"'sup, Red. Thought you died."

Red hadn't heard Blue's voice in- well. Years, now. It was a little deeper than he remembered.

He didn't know what to say. Even if speaking was a skill he had honed, what were you meant to say to someone you thought still hated you?

Maybe he did. Maybe he came to finally rematch.  
Red reached for his Pokéballs.

"Nah, I'm not here to fight. We can, if you like, but it's not why I came. Dunno if there's much point in it, though - if that Gold kid trashed both of us, does it even matter?"

Ah.  
So the kid told Blue.

Red just shrugged and tossed his Snorlax's ball up and down while his Pikachu looked up at him quizzically.  
He signaled to Pikachu that everything was okay. The sparks that flew off his cheeks died down slightly.

"Look. You've been missing for nearly 3 years now. Your mom's worried. We thought maybe you'd went to another region or something. Hoped I guess. 'Cause otherwise, the main theory is you got killed somewhere and you kept a family of Rattata fed for a fortnight, y'know?"

Red froze, gripping tight on his Pokéball.  
He had sent letters to his mom while he'd travelled in Kanto.  
But after he stopped back one last time post-league win... He hadn't. He'd been too stressed, too overwhelmed.  
He hadn't thought.

"Yeah. You been so wrapped up in your head you didn't think to tell her you were alive?"

Red nodded once.

"Thought as much, dumbass." Blue smiled, but Red didn't think he was totally joking. "I came up here with two options for you, alright? Either you come back to Pallet town with me, or you take this."  
He handed over a small device. Red looked at it, confused.  
"It's a Pokégear. You can call on it." He pulled a similar one from his own pocket, and looked at it. "Somehow, you still get signal all the way up here. Your mom's number is already in it. And mine, and my gramps', if you care. You can delete them if you want, I don't care - just keep your mom's on it."

Red looked at him, mouth hanging open a little, and he tried to speak. He tried to at least croak out Blue's name, but Blue cut him off before he managed.

"You don't have to say anything. If it wasn't obvious, I been talking with your mom. She... Yeah. She told me you're just not a fan of talking. Or maybe you can't so well." He shrugged. "And here, I thought you just hated me. Maybe you do, I dunno. I guess I earned it if you do. I guess the 'gear isn't ideal, but just calling and saying 'I'm alive' if you can, I think that'd mean the world to her."

Red closed his eyes and tried not to scream in frustration - he was pretty sure that would still be frowned upon, though who else was around to enforce that?  
Nah - it was just them, and Blue was still talking.  
He took in a lungful of air and just yelled. No words. Just noise.

Blue shut up.  
Red held up a hand.  
And said, "Wait."

Blue paused for a few moments.  
"I'm waiting. I'll wait."

Red took a few breaths, in the silence, trying to figure out what he wanted to say.  
Did it even matter? Would anything he was thinking make sense?  
But Blue kept quiet, and didn't interrupt, for maybe the first time in their lives together.

"Sorry," Red finally whispered, hoarse from screaming and disuse of his vocal chords. Quiet as he was, in the oppressive silence up the top of Mount Silver, his words still carried.  
He wasn't sure if he liked that about the place or not.  
"I'll call. Thank you."

He looked up, wondering if that was what Blue wanted to hear.

Blue was staring.  
Waiting.

Red nodded, and Blue took it to mean it was his turn to speak.  
"It's fine. It's whatever. Just 'cause we're not close any more doesn't mean I wanted you dead."

Red nodded.

"Look... I'm sorry I was a jerk. Like, it was just 'cause I thought you hated me, y'know."

Another nod.

"...Do you?"

Red could have shaken his head, but that wasn't enough.  
He didn't like eye contact, either, but he held it long enough to say, "no."

And in a split second, Blue was close enough for Red to feel his breath, and he punched his shoulder (just a little, not enough to bruise), and grabbed his shirt and told him, "I wished you'd told me that sooner. I've been down there thinking it's been my fault you're gone, damnit!"

Red said something - well, no, he mouthed a response, but that was enough to cut Blue off before he started ranting.

"What? What'd you say, I didn't hear you?"

He leaned in close enough he couldn't miss Red whispering, "you didn't ask."

Blue, naturally, headbutted him. And he did a poor enough job of it in the heat of the moment that it made them both dizzy enough to need to sit down, and made Pikachu concerned enough to start sparking at the cheeks again until Red petted him, made soothing noises at him.

They sat, recovering in silence again for a while.  
Blue, of course, was the one to break it.

"I missed you. I'd threaten you not to tell anyone I said that, but I guess I'm not in any danger of that."

Red laughed, and Blue turned to look at him, startled.  
(Hadn't heard him laugh in 5 years.)  
(Had he missed that, too?)

"Okay. Fine. I gotta get heading down. I'm staying at the Pokémon Centre at the bottom of the mountain tonight. If you're coming, come with me. If you're not, I'm gonna keep coming back til you call your mom, okay?"

Red nodded, and stood up, offering a hand to Blue, who tentatively took it, let Red haul him to his feet.

"Does that mean you're coming?"

Red paused, looked over at his backpack and unlit campfire.  
He chewed on his lip as he thought, and Blue waited patiently, uncharacteristically.

Red opened and closed his mouth a few times, struggling to get his thoughts in order.  
Eventually, he just said, "scared."

"You're scared about going back?"

A nod.

"Why?"

Red thought again.  
How could he say 'fear of pressure, expectations, conversations, reunions, responsibility, and also not knowing how he was going to go back to living in an actual house with four walls and a door and nowhere near enough space for any of his Pokémon save for Pikachu and Espeon' in a succinct way?  
It occurred to him after a solid 30 seconds of thought.

"People."

"People? Man, if anyone gives you hassle I'll kick their ass. Except your mom. She'd kick me right back. Besides, they'll be so glad you're home they'll not want to drive you away again. It's cool."

Red shook his head.  
Blue didn't get it. But, how would he with only one word to go on?  
He sighed and held up a hand again, and heard Blue close his mouth sharply.

Eventually, Red held out a pinky. Asked for a promise.  
Blue hesitantly held his own pinky out, but didn't let Red lock them together right away.

"Tell me what I'm promising first."

"Just... You, mom, Oak. For now."

"You want me to keep you being home a secret?"

Red nodded.

Blue linked their pinkies together. "That's fine. That's easy. I mean - I won't tell. Can't promise Gold won't tell anyone else you've been up here, though - or that anyone seeing you come through the gate won't gossip. Plus, Daisy's bound to find out, she still lives with us. But I'll keep my mouth shut. Nobody else, I swear."

Red nodded, and held the contact a little longer.  
(How long had it been? He hadn't even touched Gold when he handed over the boy's winnings. He never considered himself a fan of physical contact, but this moment, this reminder of what it felt like, all these reminders, punch and headbutt included - he'd missed it.  
Pokémon were one thing, and he appreciated them so much.  
But maybe not every human was unpleasant to be around.)

(Funny he should think that about possibly the most abrasive boy he knew.)

The trip down Mount Silver was long as it always was (though Red avoided it as much as he could, stockpiling long life food from the Pokémon Centre so he could avoid seeing anyone for as long as possible. When they put up a vending machine, it became his new best friend).  
Blue talked to fill the silence, which Red didn't mind once Blue made it clear he wasn't looking for responses.

Apparently, running the gym had been kind of a pain in the ass. Blue still wanted to travel, but he couldn't go too far as leader in case someone wanted to challenge him. But he felt a responsibility to look after it, especially since he hadn't really done much about the Team Rocket invasion when it happened. So, the next most responsible thing was to fill the void left by Giovanni, right?  
But his schedule was so full all the time - he barely had time to train, so other trainers kept getting better and the longer he was leader, the more often he lost. He still hated losing.

When they did stop at the Pokémon Centre to heal up and rest for the night, Red grabbed a bit of scrap paper that hadn't found its way to the bin, and pencil from next to the phones.  
He wrote down, with a shaky hand, rusty from years of not using it for this, _"why not quit if you hate it so much? You've done your part keeping it up this long. Some gym leaders don't even last a year and you've done three."_

He slid the paper to Blue who commented, "if I knew you could write just fine this might have saved us some hassle."

Red just shrugged. Again - Blue never asked.

"I get what you're saying. But, if I quit now I'll just look like a flaky little kid who can't stick to anything."

Red snatched the paper back and underlined _"three"._

"I know I've done three years, smartass. But giving up after three years when you're a grown up is one thing. It's different when you're 14."

Red wrote _"nah."_ underneath.

"What would you know? You hid at the top of a mountain for three years because 'people'."

 _"Plenty time to reflect,"_ he scribbled back.

Blue sighed.  
"Fine then. Since you're such a meditative master, what d'you suggest I do with all the free time I'll suddenly have? Take up crochet? Start writing sonnets for Sandshrews? Give motivational speeches on how to succeed in the league?"

 _"If you want,"_ Red started before Blue even finished speaking, _"but I was thinking something you'd actually enjoy. Maybe go see Johto properly? Or study abroad somewhere?"_

Blue read the note over twice - Red watched his eyes scanning the page.  
"I can't really go- uh."  
Red hadn't seen Blue look like that before. He couldn't place what was happening behind his expression.  
He understood why when Blue finally admitted, "after you went missing, um. Gramps got kinda worried about me. He'd like me to keep travelling, I think, so he can use me to work on the Pokédex. But he doesn't want me going alone, even with my Pokémon. Just in case something happens. And I'm- I'm apparently not very easy to get along with."

Red didn't write back for a solid minute.  
How are you meant to reply to that? 'Sorry I made everyone think I was dead' probably sounded like a joke.

When he did reply, it was with an idea.  
_"I could go with you."_

Blue laughed out loud at that, but he didn't sound terribly amused.  
"No offense, but did you completely lose your marbles up there? Okay, some offense."

_"I'm serious. An apology to you for worrying you."_

Blue raised an eyebrow at the paper, which was rapidly running out of room.  
"First, do you really think your mom is gonna let you out of her sights once you're home? Second, how do you know you won't hate travelling with me? And third, maybe most importantly - I don't need your pity."

Blue scrunched up the paper and threw it at Red, hitting him in the cheek.  
Red didn't flinch.

"Oh man. Should have crumpled that paper up at the start. Peace and quiet, finally."

Red fixed him with a stare as Blue failed to bite back a smug grin.  
"Asshole."

"Was that one difficult?"

"No."

"Good. Good to know. If I want a verbal reaction, I just have to piss you off, _GREAT_ to know."

Red just rolled his eyes and stood up, grabbing his backpack off the floor.  
(And despite everything, he picked up the piece of paper, and stuffed it into the side pocket of the pack before Blue could notice.)

~*~

They got a room in the hostel above the Pokémon Centre.

Not many people came up this way. They had a 6-person room between the two of them.

Blue immediately picked a top bunk, smirking like he'd won something even though there were two top bunks to choose from.  
Red shrugged and took the double futon on the ground. Seemed like the better option to him.

They got ready for bed in silence, brushing their teeth and laying out their clothes for tomorrow.  
Red actually wore pyjamas for the first time in... A while. He'd taken to sleeping in his daytime clothes overnight when he camped out up the top of Mount Silver. The last time was actually probably when the weather had last been too cold for him to tolerate, even with Charizard's flame, and he'd relented, stayed in the hostel room next to this one for three nights as it dipped well below freezing.

They were pretty comfy.  
Maybe there were some things he'd missed after all.

Pikachu curled up at the end of his bed, and the reassuring weight of him calmed Red's nerves, if only a little.

Just as he approached sleep, Blue asked, "were you serious about travelling with me?"

Red didn't have to think.  
"Yes."

"Right. Cool. ...cool."

~*~

They woke early the next morning to make the rest of the trip home.

It went as smoothly as it could. Red kept his hat down over his face, but he knew there was a chance people would recognise his clothes, even now they were dirty and mended several times over.

Blue walked on with the kind of confidence that came from not being burdened with a thousand difficult to describe anxieties - Red hid behind him every step of the way.  
If anyone had anything to say about Red being there, seeing Blue walk ahead like a man on a mission probably was what deflected them.

Once they stepped into Pallet Town, Blue made a beeline straight for Red's house.  
Red grabbed his arm.

"What? You gotta go see your mom."

Red nodded, but opened his mouth. Closed his eyes. Concentrated.  
"Paper."

"You wanna write her a letter? Man, she's just gonna be happy to see you, you can't get out of seeing her by sending her mail now."

Red shook his head. Motioned, mimed passing it over.  


Blue looked at him for a second, confused.  
"You want to write her a letter then bring it to her?"

Red nodded.

"But you can talk to me, kinda. You can talk to her better, surely?"

Red paused a moment before shaking his head.  
"Paper."

Blue sighed deeply. "Fine, whatever man, you're the boss." There was an air of exasperation about him, but he changed course to his house, so Red figured it was a success.

He was ushered quickly up to Blue's room, moving swiftly and silently to avoid Daisy in the kitchen.  
Once up there, Blue tore a few notebooks out of his bookshelf, and put them on his desk.  
"Pick one and it's yours. You can have it so you can actually keep talking to people."

Red looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm serious. I don't use any of them, I type stuff now if I wanna write anything, usually. Faster. Can't carry my PC with me obviously but, y'know, I can actually speak so it's never been a problem for me."

Red smiled, even though Blue's joke was a little mean spirited.  
He looked at the options - all spiral bound, all lined, all with Pokémon patterns on the front.

He grabbed the Arcanine one. It looked nicest.  
Blue handed him a pen.

"Go on then. I'll leave you to it. Make sure you say sorry, okay?"

Red nodded, and was left alone in Blue's bedroom.  
(Last time he was here it looked a lot different. More of a kid's room.)

He gathered his thoughts, and after a few moments, began to write.

When he was done, he walked downstairs, and found Blue casually talking with Daisy.  
Daisy saw him and stopped talking midsentence, face pale like she was being confronted with a Gengar.

Red waved hello.

"Red?!"

Blue whipped his head around to see.  
"You ready?"

He nodded and shrugged at the same time, trying to communicate, _"ready as I'm gonna be"._

"You- he- Red's back?" Daisy asked.

"Well I hope so, his mom'd be furious if I brought back an impostor."

She stared gobsmacked as Blue opened the door and led Red out.

It wasn't a long journey to Red's house, and just outside the door, Blue stopped.  
"Er. You want me to leave you to it?"

Red hesitated.

"Would you rather I came in? I can... I dunno. Give her a warning. Or give you a fanfare."

Red laughed a little.  
He remembered his notebook. Pulled it out, quickly scribbled on a free page, _"if you could go in first and say to her you got someone to see her, then I step in when you call on me?"_

Blue read it quickly, and nodded.  
And he did exactly what Red asked him to do.

(Who was this? Helpful, compliant, understanding - surely not Blue.)  
(Maybe Red shouldn't think that about the boy that climbed a mountain to come find him.)

He heard Blue call his name, and his heart pounded, but he stepped through his old front door regardless.  
His mom took one look at him, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. He ducked his head, and tore his letter out from the front of the notebook, and handed it to her, saying "sorry" as she took it.  
He expected her to read it.  
She didn't. She set it down on the table, and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're home, baby. I was so worried. Thank you for coming back."

He nodded, and burrowed into the hug. She didn't let go for a long time.  
The only thing that broke her grip was the sound of a door opening.

"Blue," she said over Red's shoulder, "thank you, too. Can I catch up with you in a little bit?"

"Whatever. You know where I live, so long as I'm in you can come by."

"I will," she said to him, and he closed the door behind him. Left Red alone with his mother.

When it was just the two of them, she finally broke away, and looked down at Red.  
"Look at you. You're all grown up, near enough." She smiled, tilted his head up to look at him. Then her face fell a little. "Are you staying long? Can I make you dinner? Get you a shower and some clean clothes, at least?"

Red closed his eyes, and nodded.  
"I'll stay. I don't- I don't know how-- 'least a while."

"A while is vague, but it's a start." She took off his hat and ruffled his hair. "Okay. Go shower. I'll read your letter, then we can talk about it, if we need to. Yeah?"

"Yeah."

~*~

Red showered.

His mother read.

" _Mom,  
I'm sorry I went away without writing.  
I know I should have, but I kind of panicked after the league. I told you I went to Johto, and I started to, but it was difficult. I could do the training part, but people recognised me and wanted to talk to me and ask me about the league.  
I don't think I'm very good at talking to people. I hid up the top of Mt Silver for a long time and I barely saw anyone except the people in the Pokémon Centre and one kid who came up to battle me. I didn't speak to anyone.  
I liked it up there. I liked the peace and quiet.  
But just because I can't really talk to strangers and I'm not good at it even with people I know, doesn't mean I should hide away completely.  
So I'm coming home. I'm wanting to stay a little while if that's alright. I said to Blue I might travel with him if he wants to - and I'm pretty sure he does - but I know we'll have some time until then because he needs to find someone else to take over the gym.  
But if we do go travelling again, I promise, I'll send mail this time. Blue will make sure I do, I think._

_And I know it bothers you that I never said it much, so I'm gonna put it down in writing so you never forget, even if I'm struggling to speak,_

_I love you, mom."_

~*~

They had three months together in Pallet Town, after they returned.

Blue couldn't get anyone to take over the gym at first - nobody suitable at least. Most people at his level were abroad, travelling, training, or they were already in Elite Four.  
People who were willing and available weren't experienced enough. One cheeky 16 year old tried to bully Blue into handing it to him even though he only had 5 badges.  
Blue took him down a few notches. Red watched from the stands, trying to bite back a grin as the boy roared in frustration.

Red spent the time between catching up with his mom and going with Blue to the gym.  
She learned fast that he was even quieter than he was before, but he still made effort. He figured if he didn't at least try and talk a little bit with people he liked, he might lose the ability to even do that.  
She was patient, quickly caught on that him holding up his hand meant he planned to speak, but he needed a moment to fully formulate the thought, or find the correct words. And when he really wasn't up to it, she let him grab his notebook, let him scribble down a response that was too long for him to feel alright with verbalising.

He thought there was a chance that she was so patient with him because she was scared of losing contact with him again.  
He thought there was a chance she understood that, even though it wasn't as much as other people could do, it was more than he'd done in years, and it was a big deal for him.

Blue came to visit whenever he had free time. Daisy sometimes joined him.  
Professor Oak, scatter brained as he was, didn't actually realise Red was back for a week. Blue told him - but he was reading a report on a mythical Pokémon abroad, said, "yes, good, good to hear," and didn't actually take in the information.  
He nearly jumped out his skin when he saw Red by the water with his Lapras.  
He nearly had a heart attack when he offered Oak his Pokédex, and let him know he'd completed it. Including capturing four separate legendary Pokémon.

Blue tried to contain his mixture of jealousy and awe. The three of them took a trip out to the fields, and Red let the legendary birds out just long enough for both Oaks to admire them - Blue reaching out to pat their beaks, and the Professor furiously scribbling down observations.

"Why didn't you use them in the league?" Blue asked, after a little while.

Red pulled his notebook out his backpack and scribbled, _"Didn't wanna look like a show off. Plus it felt kind of unfair on them - they're legends. So I just took them out every so often and let them fly free for a while. Think they were away for about 6 months last time."_

Blue looked at him with an inscrutable expression for a few moments before giving back the notebook.  
"You could have floored me in half the time if you brought them."

Red shrugged.  
Wrote, _"And you'd have asked for a fair rematch. So it's for the best I didn't."_

Blue laughed.  
"Yeah, fair enough."

~*~

Blue's successor was a girl who had freshly won the league. Her name was Leaf, and she was accomplished. She had a good attitude, too - not too cocky, not too shy.  
And she beat Blue twice in a best out of three set.

As soon as Blue smiled after the second loss, Red knew she got the place.  
He didn't expect Blue to call Red down from the stands and declare him to be the final challenge.

She eyed him up for a second before nodding. Didn't say a word about who he was. Didn't complain about the goalposts being moved.

Red knew it didn't matter whether she won or lost here - all that mattered was the fact she was willing to face him, even after three tough fights.  
So he didn't throw the battle, not by any stretch - he gave it his all. But he didn't use Pokémon he trained with regularly. Gave her a better than average team, but not his star line up.  
She won, and comfortably.  
Blue was beaming.

Red was pretty happy, too.

~*~

"So were you actually seriously serious about going to Johto together?"

Red raised an eyebrow at Blue. That was possibly the fifth time he'd asked this. If Red didn't know any better, he'd think Blue was insecure about it or something.  
He nodded, and went to grab his notebook, but Blue stopped his hand.

"Can I just- listen for a sec, okay? If you really want to do it, I don't want you like, bailing on me halfway through. Or deciding you do hate me after all and abandoning me. Can you promise you'll stick with me? At least through Johto? We can just- we can quit after we've gotten all the badges if you don't like me, but I want to finish this if we start."

Red sighed, and pulled his arm free to grab the notebook. Blue let him, this time.

He wrote, _"I've been saying I'm serious about it this whole time. I don't plan on bailing. I wanted to go to Johto. The main reason I didn't before was because you weren't there to challenge me. It was boring without a rival. But just because we're going together as friends this time doesn't mean we can't still be rivals, too. So let's do this; before every gym, we battle each other to see who's strongest. Whoever loses gets to take on the gym first. Whoever wins goes second. That way, even if we lose we get a chance to prove ourselves in some way. And we only use Pokémon we've caught in Johto to battle the gyms - fresh start, no sweeping early gyms with our league-levelled teams. They can still come with us but they can't fight. Does that sound fair?"_

Blue read over Red's shoulder as he wrote it and tried to ask a question before he'd finished, but Red glared at him and turned the paper away, hiding it. Blue sighed and stopped trying to peek 'til Red was finished.

"...Alright. Fine. I can do that."

Red nodded, and asked, "When?"

"When what?"

"Do we leave?"

"...Uh." Blue blinked, thinking.

"Two weeks today?"

Blue looked at him, mouth slightly open for a few moments.  
"Right," he eventually said, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah! We're going to Johto!"

"Yes!" Red grinned back, and he didn't stop grinning 'til long after Blue had ran off, spring in his step, saying he was going to start getting ready immediately.

**Author's Note:**

> This ought to update periodically, when I get time to work on it between challenges.


End file.
